Senate President Godswill Akpabio is leading a five-member Nigerian delegation to Vatican City for the funeral of Pope Francis, who passed away recently. The delegation is expected to attend the funeral ceremony on Saturday, representing Nigeria at the global event.
The visit was confirmed in a statement released on Friday by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy. According to the statement, President Tinubu selected a team of respected figures from Nigeria to pay their last respects and deliver his condolence message to the Vatican.
Leading the group is Senate President Godswill Akpabio. He is joined by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, and three prominent Nigerian clergymen: the President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji; the Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah; and the Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Ignatius Ayua Kaigama.
The official statement noted that the team will deliver a letter from President Tinubu, which carries his sympathy and condolences to the Acting Head of the Vatican on behalf of the Nigerian government and its people.
